Absolute Dominion

Chapter 18

Kwon Hyuk-Gi led Jeong Lee-Chu and Cha-Ryun to a high-class establishment called the Spring Breeze Inn.

From outside, it resembled an ordinary house, and it didn’t even have a signboard.

The name ‘Spring Breeze’ was only revealed when the attendant inside graciously welcomed them, expressing appreciation for finding the ‘Spring Breeze’.

The inn seemed to be a secretive place that only those within select circles could find.

Jeong Lee-Chu, who had lived his entire life in the martial arts world, didn’t show it, but he had no idea such a place existed.

Kwon Hyuk-Gi introduced it like this:

“This is a special place, one I only reserve for special guests.”

It certainly was special—Jeong Lee-Chu had never experienced such a strong sense of discomfort in his life.

He had never considered himself to be someone of particular importance, nor had he ever considered Kwon Hyuk-Gi to be special.

He had only accepted this invitation because he thought it might help with the current situation, but coming to such a secretive place made him feel burdened.

‘It must be quite expensive.’

His thoughts followed along that line, but he quickly dismissed them.

‘How harsh could the ‘Spring Breeze’ be?’

A neatly dressed woman in her thirties greeted them.

“It’s been some time since your last visit.”

“Hahaha! Indeed, it has been. I’ve come today with some esteemed guests, so be sure to treat us well.”

“Of course, leave it to me.”

The woman cast a provocative glance toward Jeong Lee-Chu.

“My name is Lee Hwa.”

“Ahem. Nice to meet you.”

Jeong Lee-Chu, not wanting to reveal his identity, offered a brief greeting.

He disliked drinking in the company of courtesans and felt especially awkward with Cha-Ryun right beside him.

Lee Hwa laughed brightly, as if finding his discomfort amusing.

Cha-Ryun, however, was inwardly baffled.

‘Who is this woman? No, who is this man, bringing me to a place like this?’

From the start, the situation didn’t seem promising.

“Please, follow me.”

She led them into a small, elegantly furnished room.

From the ornate wallpaper to the intricate decorations, it was evident that every item was extremely expensive.

As they settled in, a young woman brought in some fragrant scented tea.

These women were incredibly beautiful, almost too stunning to be working in a place like this.

Lee Hwa smiled and gestured.

“Please, start by refreshing yourselves.”

Jeong Lee-Chu, mindful of Cha-Ryun, quickly interjected.

“I think it would be best to excuse the women. We have important matters to discuss.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi chuckled softly before responding.

“This place is different from regular courtesan houses. The women here only pour drinks—they don’t sell their bodies or their skills.”

“I see.”

Jeong Lee-Chu’s expression softened slightly, though a lingering discomfort remained.

“I brought you here especially for your daughter.”

“Thank you so much for your consideration.”

Jeong Lee-Chu laughed along with him, trying to match his mood.

However, Cha-Ryun thought it was all nonsense.

‘If he was really being considerate, he could have taken us to an ordinary tea house or inn. Why does drinking have to involve women? If this is where he brings me, where on earth does he go when I’m not around?’

She couldn’t help but wonder about his true intentions for bringing her to such a place.

Cha-Ryun wanted to stand up and leave immediately, but for her father’s sake, she bit her tongue and stayed.

Lee Hwa started to take Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s order.

“Bring the usual drink… and let’s see, what would be good for the side dishes?”

He ordered a large number of dishes all at once, as if he had finally gotten the chance to have a feast on someone else’s dime. Without a hint of restraint, Kwon Hyuk-Gi ordered nearly ten different dishes, most of which were unfamiliar.

When Jeong Lee-Chu couldn’t say anything, Cha-Ryun stepped in.

“Isn’t this too much food for just the three of us?”

When Cha-Ryun interrupted, Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s face visibly stiffened.

“I was just trying to introduce you to some good food, that’s all.”

Jeong Lee-Chu quickly intervened to ease the tension.

“She’s still young and inexperienced. Please, continue with the order.”

“It’s not like I was trying to order all of this for myself.”

“Of course, of course. I understand you’re trying to expand the tastes of this cheap palate of mine. Hahaha! Please forgive her this one time. She still doesn’t know much about the world.”

Jeong Lee-Chu signaled Lee Hwa to bring the food quickly. He didn’t bother asking Cha-Ryun to apologize. Even he found Kwon Hyuk-Gi’s behavior rather distasteful.

Lee Hwa flashed a bright smile and exited the room.

As the women began serving them, they exchanged light pleasantries.

Eventually, Kwon Hyuk-Gi steered the conversation toward the main topic.

“By the way, I heard there was some trouble with Young Master Jang?”

Jeong Lee-Chu’s body tensed. Finally, a topic worth the price of today’s drinks had come up.

“It’s not trouble, merely a misunderstanding. I came to address it personally today, but unfortunately, I couldn’t meet Clan Leader Jang.”

“Hmm, considering our relationship, I’ll let you in on something. Clan Leader Jang probably avoided meeting you on purpose.”

Jeong Lee-Chu’s intuition had been correct.

“Is Clan Leader Jang that upset?”

“I’ve heard that he’s extremely furious over the matter. After all, we’re talking about his only son, aren’t we? He’s a good man in every other way, but he tends to dote excessively on Young Master Jang.”

“Ha… is that so. How should I handle this matter?”

Jeong Lee-Chu put on a troubled expression, while Cha-Ryun hung her head low, feeling ashamed.

Just then, Lee Hwa returned, accompanied by a large tray of food.

“This is our house specialty, bear gallbladder wine.”

“Bear gallbladder? Are you serious?”

“Indeed, it’s a medicinal wine infused with a variety of precious herbs. It’s especially beneficial for men.”

“Haha! It’s one of my favorite drinks. Here, have a glass.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi appeared to be in high spirits.

Jeong Lee-Chu grimaced as he took a sip. The wine was so bitter that it made him frown, but thinking about its supposed health benefits, he decided to drink it.

The side dishes were also incredibly delicious.

‘I can already tell… this is going to be expensive.’

Anxiety crept up within Jeong Lee-Chu. He was usually very frugal. Although the Righteous Sword Sect wasn’t in dire financial straits, it wasn’t particularly well-off either. Fortunately, he had brought about fifty nyang, just in case.

‘That should be enough to cover it.’

If Kwon Hyuk-Gi could resolve the matter at hand, it would be well worth the cost.

“Please, Master Kwon, speak on my behalf to Clan Leader Jang. This whole matter stems from a simple misunderstanding.”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to speak to the clan leader firmly.”

Kwon Hyuk-Gi was now treating Jeong Lee-Chu as if he were his younger brother.

Although Kwon Hyuk-Gi was a few years older, they weren’t close enough to warrant such familiarity.

However, Jeong Lee-Chu hid his discomfort well.

“Haha, if you can do that, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The drinks flowed freely.

As Kwon Hyuk-Gi repeatedly assured him that he would handle the conversation with Clan Leader Jang, Jeong Lee-Chu finally began to feel a sense of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

As Kwon Hyuk-Gi started to become noticeably drunk, he started spouting nonsense about how he planned to win the Heavenly Dragon Tournament.

Jeong Lee-Chu thought it was ridiculous but humored him anyway. The Heavenly Dragon Tournament was a competition where neither he nor Kwon Hyuk-Gi could even dream of entering.

Cha-Ryun, who had been sitting quietly, was growing increasingly dissatisfied.

‘Why was I even invited here?’

After a few shallow exchanges, Kwon Hyuk-Gi continued to focus entirely on himself. He was the type of person she hated most at a drinking table—the kind who only talked about themselves without ever paying attention to others.

After laughing and enjoying himself for a while, Kwon Hyuk-Gi finally stumbled out of the room, having finished four bottles of the bear gallbladder wine.

At the counter near the entrance, Kwon Hyuk-Gi grinned with his flushed face.

“Well, I had a good time.”

“I’ll host you again next time.”

“Sure. I’ll be off then.”

He staggered as he made his way out.

Lee Hwa was seated at the counter, maintaining the same bright smile she had shown the entire time they were there.

“I hope the drinks and food were to your liking.”

“They were excellent.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Please give me the bill. How much is it?”

“It comes to eight hundred and ninety nyang.”

“What?”

Jeong Lee-Chu was so shocked that he doubted his ears.

Even eighty-nine nyang would have been an exorbitant amount, but eight hundred and ninety nyang?

However, he hadn’t misheard, as Cha-Ryun asked again in disbelief.

“How much did you say?”

“I said eight hundred and ninety nyang.”

Struggling to conceal his shock, Jeong Lee-Chu spoke with forced calmness.

“Haha, surely there’s been some mistake in the calculation?”

“That’s impossible, I double-checked it myself.”

With a calm smile, Lee Hwa handed him the bill.

“Please, take a look for yourself.”

Jeong Lee-Chu and Cha-Ryun quickly scrutinized the bill.

“What is this?”

Cha-Ryun’s eyes widened in shock. The prices were outrageous.

Each of the four bottles of bear gallbladder wine they had drunk were a hundred and twenty nyang.

Moreover, the prices for the side dishes were equally absurd. The cheapest vegetable dish was nineteen nyang, and the most expensive seafood dish was ninety nyang.

Though the food was more flavorful than what one would find in a regular inn, it didn’t justify such astronomical prices.

“This is ridiculous!”

Cha-Ryun shouted in disbelief.

With ten nyang, you could sample nearly all the dishes at an average inn. Even considering that they had ordered some high-end dishes, the price was still absurd

‘Eight hundred and ninety nyang? What the hell!’

Cha-Ryun scowled.

“These prices are outrageous.”

Lee Hwa tilted her head in confusion.

“I don’t understand. You ordered everything, knowing the prices, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“What do you mean? If we had known it was this expensive, we wouldn’t have ordered anything.”

“Master Kwon is a regular at our establishment.”

That one sentence hit right at the heart of the matter. If they were with Kwon Hyuk-Gi, they should have known the cost. She was implying that if they had any complaints, they should take it up with him.

Fuming, Cha-Ryun stormed toward the door. But the despicable Kwon Hyuk-Gi had already vanished without a trace.

Unable to contain her anger any longer, Cha-Ryun finally spat out the curse she had been holding back.

“That fucking bastard!”

The fact that he had ordered so much, knowing the prices, was clearly an intentional move to screw over her father.

Hearing her curse, Jeong Lee-Chu looked at her in shock. Cha-Ryun, in her agitation, didn’t even realize she had cursed.

Even for the Sect Leader of the Righteous Sword Sect, eight hundred and ninety nyang was no small amount.

“We can’t possibly pay that amount!”

At Cha-Ryun’s words, the smile faded from Lee Hwa’s face.

“What do you mean?”

“We won’t be paying.”

Lee Hwa’s eyes narrowed at Cha-Ryun’s firm answer.

“Are you saying you’re going to dine and dash?”

“This bill is completely unreasonable.”

Lee Hwa sneered, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“For the Sect Leader of the Righteous Sword Sect and his daughter, who is known as the Most Beautiful Woman in Wuhan, to try and skip out on a mere drinking bill… how do you think the martial world will view that?”

Even though they hadn’t introduced themselves, Lee Hwa knew exactly who Jeong Lee-Chu and Cha-Ryun were.

Cha-Ryun’s expression grew cold. The thought crossed her mind that Kwon Hyuk-Gi and the Spring Breeze Inn had been conspiring together from the start.

“Are you threatening us?”

“It’s not a threat, it’s just the truth.”

Jeong Lee-Chu sighed and stepped forward.

“Fine, I’ll come back later and pay.”

Just as Lee Hwa said, such rumors could never be allowed to spread. Rumors in the martial world were terrifying and could easily bury a small sect.

“Father!”

“Cha-Ryun, let’s go.”

“No! We can’t let them do this to us!”

“Hah, I said let’s go for now.”

As Jeong Lee-Chu prepared to turn and leave, Lee Hwa’s voice cut through the air.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Her tone was frigid.

“You need to pay before you leave. What’s to stop you from simply walking out and never coming back?”

“I told you I’d bring the money later, didn’t I?”

“And how do I know you’ll keep your word?”

This was beyond outrageous. It was clear now that Kwon Hyuk-Gi had conspired with her.

Cha-Ryun shouted, unable to hold back her frustration.

“Hey!”

Lee Hwa remained composed, not even raising her voice, and calmly responded. She was truly a seasoned fox who had seen it all.

“Our establishment has a strict policy of not accepting credit.”

Jeong Lee-Chu’s face was clouded with frustration.

“So, what do you suggest we do when we don’t have the money right now?”

“In this situation, there are two options. First, you can write a promissory note stating that you’ll repay the money soon. Interest will increase by ten percent every ten days.”

Jeong Lee-Chu was dumbfounded.

Even though the situation had turned out like this, he was still the leader of a sect. The fact that she would propose something like this, knowing who he was, made it clear that someone powerful was backing her. This woman wasn’t just here to sell drinks. They were caught in a well-planned trap.

“Are you seriously suggesting we take out a loan?”

Cha-Ryun was so furious she almost slapped Lee Hwa.

In contrast, Jeong Lee-Chu managed to remain composed.

“And what’s the second option?”

“It’s simple. One of you stays here while the other goes to bring the money.”

In other words, one of them was to stay as a hostage.

Jeong Lee-Chu’s expression hardened. He was not one to lose his temper easily, but this time, he was truly furious.

“Are you out of your mind?”

As he released a wave of murderous intent, Lee Hwa’s eyes sharpened, meeting his gaze fearlessly.

“Are you looking down on me? Do you think I’m just a woman selling drinks?”

Right on cue, the back door opened and a martial artist walked in. His sharp eyes and light steps indicated he was not an ordinary guard.